UPDATE: Toilets ‘safe to use’ after piranha discovery

Toilet users have been reminded not to flush piranhas down the loo and to stick with conventional flushable Ps, pee, poo and paper after an Amazonian specimen was discovered at a Chichester sewage works.

The water company has assured customers that toilets are safe to use after it revealed the unlikely find on Twitter earlier today.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: “Voracious South American aquatic predators are a very rare occurrence in our waste water system and we would like to reassure our customers that it is safe to use their toilets as normal.

“Although not specifically designed to catch piranhas, waste treatment works do screen out large items and water is not returned to nature until it is safe.

“Finding this at our Chichester treatment works does underline two important points.

“Only three Ps should go down your loo - pee, poo and paper. Not piranhas and not wet wipes or other ‘Unflushables’ which cause sewer blockages.

“This is an example of another problem - non-native invasive species. Keepers of aquatic pets must take care in disposing of tank contents as it can spread fish parasites or non-native water plants.

“We are also funding a national ‘Check, Clean and Dry’ campaign aimed at anglers, yachtsmen and other water users to make sure their equipment does not spread other invasive species which may not have the teeth of the piranha but can damage our habitats and even human health.”